Having lived in Calgary for a little over two years, I was not fully aware of how thriving the city’s arts scene was. I was also primarily focused on the theatre industry so any kind of art form beyond that was unfamiliar to me. Imagine my surprise when I was introduced to the vast array of artists in the city through Arts Commons’ TD Amplify series. From bands to spoken word artists to musicians, clowns, comedians, dancers, visual artists, filmmakers and soundscape artists, I was just blown away. I was even more thrilled that I would get to collaborate with some of these creators through directing the Amplify performances. The TD Amplify series puts a spotlight on Calgary’s underground performing arts scene and brings to the fore emerging talent that will soon become leading voices in the professional arts world within and beyond Canada. 

As director, it has been a joy working with artists from different fields. The level of creativity that each one of them contributes to the show is simply breathtaking. For our first Amplify performance specifically, I had the privilege of working with artists who were so open to collaboration. I thought my work would be more difficult, to be honest, but with these artists, the work didn’t even feel like work. It was lots of fun watching each of them shine through their performances. Each of them displayed focus and initiative in developing material that would not only stretch them as artists but open them up to dialogue with other creators in the room. They cared not just for their own work but made it a point to contribute and listen to their cohort. Everyone had a greater goal in mind outside of just making themselves look good on stage, they wanted to craft a performance that was cohesive and would allow for everyone to shine. It was interesting to see how their different vocabularies as dancers, poets, musicians, and vocalists intertwined and how they’d rely on each other’s strengths to make a performance clear for the audience and for themselves. As director, I enjoyed understanding these different worlds of performing. I loved seeing how different mediums of art could communicate just as powerfully as the theatre I’ve been used to.

Another thing that I appreciate about the Amplify series is how it brings together artists from different cultural backgrounds. As an immigrant myself, I can empathize with people who have found it difficult to navigate life in a new country. There are so many things you need to adjust to and many times you can feel like an outsider alone in your struggles. The holiday season exacerbates this feeling even more. The Amplify series provides a community for these kinds of artists, artists who are continuing to create masterful work whilst discovering a new creative environment. The arts is a language in itself, and I am glad that we can share this language in Amplify performances. Having this shared experience, creating together and engaging in vocabulary that we all understand makes artists far from their families feel like they’re home even for one fleeting moment and, at the end of the day, to feel at home as we create is a feeling unmatched by anything in this world.

This year’s Amplify –– which is part of the greater Arts Commons Incubator Program –– ushered in New York-based artist Migguel Angelo as a mentor for all the artists. For the Amplify theme this year, he laid out the question “Where are you from?” which explores subjects of identity, belonging, inclusivity, direction, and motivations.  Encapsulating all this is the title for the series: Origins. With this theme and title in mind, I had to create a way to communicate Migguel’s ideas through the aesthetic world of the show. To realize this, set designer Abigail Monarrez and projection designer Tyler Longmire helped tremendously. Their designs made our vision come to life. I immediately associated travel with the question “Where are you from?” and knew this was something I could lean into. With our designers’ help, we came up with an airport aesthetic for the staging of the show. Having been in airports a lot all my life, it just felt like the perfect setting for the subjects of belonging, direction, etc. In an airport, one has either arrived, is departing, or is in the middle of transit. A fitting metaphor for the journey we take as artists and as human beings. For the Amplify series, we feature a mix of artists- some at the launch pad of their careers, ready to take off, others diligently finding their way and discovering new destinations, and several already comfortably settled in their artistic destination.

I am so grateful for my experience as director of the Amplify series, and it would be amiss not to thank my Arts Commons family for trusting me with this honour. To Sarah Garton Stanley, Josh Dalledonne, Sanja Lukac, Jahdayl Spence, Ian Lane, our mentor Migguel Angelo, and all the members of the production team and creatives, a huge thank you! And to all our artists, your dedication to your craft and commitment to making more impactful art has encouraged me to keep telling stories and keep contributing to the growing arts scene here in Calgary and in the rest of Canada.